If you liked what you saw at this year’s Geneva and New York auto shows with Honda’s Civic Hatch Prototype, you’ll be happy to know that the production model is almost identical – even more so in the Si / Type-S trims. No Subaru concept to production-style disappointments here…

As evidenced by the lack of the center mounted exhausts and lower body spoilers, plus the smaller wheels seen on previous 2017 Civic hatchback prototypes we’ve spied and which were the Si / Type-S performance variants, this group of testers we nabbed in the Alps are the base models.

These will be powered by Honda’s new generation of 1.0-liter and 1.5-liter VTEC Turbo gasoline engines, with the former to likely develop close to 120hp to replace the current naturally aspirated 1.6L 1.4L in Europe and other markets, and the latter that is already offered in the US-spec Civic sedan, 174 horses. Europe will also get an improved version of the current 1.6-liter i-DTEC four-cylinder diesel producing more than 120hp.

Further up the chain will be the Si for North America or Type-S in other markets, which is believed to get a de-tuned version of the Type-R’s 2.0-liter turbocharged VTEC four-cylinder pumping out over 200horses – possibly as much as 250hp, to compete with the VW Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST. Sitting at the top of the range will be the next Type R with a more extreme body kit and at least 300 horses from the 2.0-liter Turbo VTEC engine.

The North American lineup will include the 174hp 1.5-liter turbo engine for the base model, and from late next year, the 2.0-liter turbocharged Si and Type R five-door performance hatchbacks, all of which will be available with a 6-speed manual gearbox.

Given the similarities with the concept, it should have the same dimensions making it 30mm wider (1.2 in.), 20mm lower (0.8 in.) and 130mm (5.1 in.) longer than the current hatch that is not available in North America, and as a result, offer a more spacious cabin.

The hatch shares its platform and interior with the 10th generation Civic Sedan and Coupe that are already on sale in North America, but unlike those two, it will be produced exclusively at Honda’s UK Swindon plant for all markets around the world.

We should see the production 2017 Civic Hatch bow at the Paris Auto Show in early October with its North American debut to follow either in LA in November or in Detroit in January.

Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops

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